Book Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Everyone’s favorite Idiot Girl, Laurie Notaro, is just trying to find the right fit, whether it’s in the adorable blouse that looks charming on the mannequin but leaves her in a literal bind or in her neighborhood after she’s shamefully exposed at a holiday party by delivering a low-quality rendition of “Jingle Bells.” Notaro makes misstep after riotous misstep as she shares tales of marriage and family, including stories about the dog-bark translator that deciphers Notaro’s and her husband’s own “woofs” a little too accurately, the emails from her mother with “FWD” in the subject line (“which in email code means Forecasting World Destruction”), and the dead-of-night shopping sprees and Devil Dog–devouring monkeyshines of a creature known as “Ambien Laurie.” At every turn, Notaro’s pluck and irresistible candor set the New York Times bestselling author on a journey that’s laugh-out-loud funny and utterly unforgettable.

Everyone’s favorite Idiot Girl, Laurie Notaro, is just trying to find the right fit, whether it’s in the adorable blouse that looks charming on the mannequin but leaves her in a literal bind or in her neighborhood after she’s shamefully exposed at a holiday party by delivering a low-quality rendition of “Jingle Bells.” Notaro makes misstep after riotous misstep as she shares tales of marriage and family, including stories about the dog-bark translator that deciphers Notaro’s and her husband’s own “woofs” a little too accurately, the emails from her mother with “FWD” in the subject line (“which in email code means Forecasting World Destruction”), and the dead-of-night shopping sprees and Devil Dog–devouring monkeyshines of a creature known as “Ambien Laurie.” At every turn, Notaro’s pluck and irresistible candor set the New York Times bestselling author on a journey that’s laugh-out-loud funny and utterly unforgettable.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Author One-on-One: Jen Lancaster and Laurie Notaro Read an author one-on-one where hilariously funny authors Jen Lancaster (If You Were Here) and Laurie Notaro (It Looked Different on the Model) sat down to discuss meeting their readers, where they get their ideas, and writing in different genres.

Review

“Laurie Notaro is absolutely hilarious. You never see the jokes coming. They’re always organic to her writing, and it makes her a joy to read.”—Justin Halpern, author of Sh*t My Dad Says

“If her books don’t inspire pants-wetting fits of laughter, then please consult your physician, because, clearly, your funny bone is broken.”—Jen Lancaster, author of Pretty in Plaid“Whenever I pick up a book by Laurie Notaro, I know I’ll be in a good mood soon. Because Laurie Notaro makes me laugh. Period.”—Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries and Overbite

I have read everything by Laurie Notaro that I can get my hands on. I love, love, love her humor and quirky look on life.

To say that I was happy to get her newest book is a great understatement. I was absolutely thrilled! Once I had it on my Kindle, I settled in to read and read until I was finished. I did not answer the phone, the door, or my husband. I loved every luscious minute of it. Notaro's ability to get herself into jams and her quirky way of looking at everyday situations are wonderful and hilarious. I also love the bit of snark she manages to pull off without seeming mean. That's a hard thing to do in writing, and no one does it better than Laurie Notaro. And no one does humor better.

I could relate to this book on so many levels, but mostly I laughed. I laughed a lot!! This book is the perfect pick-up for the summer (or winter) doldrums, or any kind of doldrums. It will have you laughing and you'll forget all about your temperature woes and all your stress.

Overall, I can't say enough great things about this book. I highly recommend to women everywhere who need a good laugh (or ten). My only complaint is that now I will have to wait for her next book. In the meantime, I plan to start with her first book and read them all again, but I hope Notaro has something new headed my way soon. I just can't get enough of her writing! Great, funny book that is certain to leave you with a smile on your face and looking at your own life a little differently. I'd give this book 10 stars if I could--and that still wouldn't express how much I loved this book. Grab it and enjoy!

I've read all 9 of Laurie Notaro's memoirs - including the most recent one - and all of Jen Lancaster's memoirs as well. I like to read funny stories about every day life and a little sarcasm goes a long way.

After reading some of the negative comments/reviews about this book, I felt compelled to post a few comments that might help give potential buyers an insight about why some people love her writing and why some don't.

First of all, Laurie Notaro - despite being a successful writer - maintains a level of humility. Unlike Jen Lancaster, for example, who has been driving me insane with her CONSTANT plugging of previous and future tomes of her writing (OH look, you can also buy this book I wrote! OH and don't forget to buy this book I wrote before the one you're currently reading and also the one I'll be writing as soon as I'm done cashing the royalty check for this one! HAH!).

Secondly, the pace is different. Since exhausting the new material from both authors, I'm re-reading one of Jen Lancaster's earliest memoirs, and the two things that stood out to me that were markedly different from Laurie Notaro's writing are (1) the fact that things just move a bit slower in Laurie's world, and (2) she's so much less bitchy.

Last but not least...and maybe this is not the most pc or flattering thing to say, I think that if you haven't lived life in the fast lane, haven't thrown caution into the wind because you were making more money than you knew what to do with and even then maxing out your credit cards because you just HAD to have every single shade of Dior lip gloss etc, you'll find Laurie Notaro a lot more relatable than Jen Lancaster.

Personally, I thought this book was funny in parts, not so funny in other parts, but overall a good book - better than others I've read.

After publishing a couple of novels, Notaro is back with another collection of essays about her life in Eugene, Oregon (hippie capital of the nation) and her family and friends. Age is not mellowing Notaro, although her sedative of choice is now Ambien rather than Jack Daniels.

Bidding on eBay leads her to consequences involving the Department of Homeland Security. A visit from her nephew sees them lurching from catastrophe to disaster. Simple activities such as going to the post office or trying on a blouse in a boutique turn into the sort of experiences you'd expect Larry David to have on Curb Your Enthusiasm if her were younger. And a woman.

I used to laugh at Notaro, trying to imagine how she could possibly get into such ridiculous predicaments. Now I laugh with her, having had my own embarrassing post office and dressing room moments. Oddly enough, cat butts feature in two of her essays, a topic I would have thought difficult to work into even one.

I usually read heavy stuff but I like to mix it up with low brow humor so I don't start taking myself too seriously. I was laid up with the flu over this Labor Day weekend and had just finished Larson's In the Garden of the Beasts--really dark stuff--and noodled around to see Notaro's books highly recommended. I'm outside of her demographic, I guess, but I love to laugh so I downloaded the book and couldn't stop giggling. I kept wondering what it was about her voice that seemed so familiar--and then read that she has a Brooklyn background, as do I--my mom was brought up on Flatbush. These stories perked up my mood after a gloomy read during a bleary weekend when I was supposed to be working on my own book. You know what? Who cares! Life happens, and you might as well laugh when it does. Great read, I will download more of this writer's stuff to balance the heavies.

More About the Author

Laurie Notaro was born in Brooklyn, New York, then spent the remainder of her formative years in Phoenix, AZ, where she created something of a checkered past. She is the New York Times Best-selling author of the humor memoirs The Idiot Girls Action Adventure Club, Autobiography of a Fat Bride, I Love Everybody and Other Atrocious Lies, We Thought You Would Be Prettier, Idiot Girls' Christmas, There's a Slight Chance I Might Be Going to Hell, The Idiot Girls and the Flaming Tantrum of Death, and Spooky Little Girl, which will be available April 13, 2001. She is a terrible typist, doesn't suffer Big Ikes very well, and lives under an assumed name in Eugene, Oregon where her neighbors believe she is writing about them, but she is not. She has a cute dog, a nice husband and misses Mexican food like a limb lost to diabetes.